The power of the pause

Which of the following are good reasons to pause before you respond?

1. To give you a chance to gather your thoughts

2. To give you time to you choose a better mindset

3. To stop you from interrupting

4. To ensure you understand the underlying concern

5. ‘Cause you get paid by the hour, might as well take your time

If you answered yes to all (except #5) you are correct!   

Taking time to pause can help save time in the long run as you will understand the customers’ needs better and diffuse angry callers.  There is real power in that pause!

Next time a customer (or colleague) is complaining or venting, take a deep breath and choose to respond rather than react.   

Are you a Parks and Rec fan?

I've been recommending that we all do squats in the office every hour.  I'm pleased to hear [and witness in some offices] that so many of you are doing them.

Here's my new favorite idea.   Lunges.  

In case you missed Parks and Rec last week...

This DOES call for some celebratory lunges. #ParksandRec.

...and it's not just my favorite line because it was Rob Lowe who suggested them.

I loved hearing the line on the show because, (1) it gets us moving and a lunge has many of the same blood-pumped, forced-breathing, leg-moving attributes that a squat does and (2) it's a celebration vs. a punishment.

It's Canadian Thanksgiving today - that does call for some celebratory lunges!

Happy Thanksgiving to all my Canadian friends and family!

Say what?

You are flying a plane from New York (LGA) to Los Angeles (LAX).  In New York 125 people board the plane.  In Chicago (ORD) 45 people get off the plane and 38 new passengers get on.  Plane stops again in Pheonix (PHX) 47 people get off and 36 get on.  Plane lands in LAX.  

How old is the pilot?

Wait for it....

What did you think I was going to ask?  

Customer Service is about listening to the customer, answering their questions and solving their problems.  If you don't really know what they want, you might answer the wrong question.  

Our next webinar will focus on listening skills.  If you can join us, click here.

https://wclisten.eventbrite.com

If you still don't know how old the pilot is, email me and I'll help you. 

Shake it off

Have you ever watched a dog shake after they get a bath or go for swim?  It's a whole body shake and they look so darn happy after they're done!

Maybe we need to learn to shake it off. 

Tension creeps into your shoulders throughout the day and bunches up in there during challenging calls.

Try this exercise to release that tension.

1.  Shake your hands energetically just by your sides for a few moments.

2.  Raise your shoulders up while breathing in, then let them drop as you breathe out.

3.  Shake your hands again at shoulder height and repeat #2.

How do you feel now?

Shoulder tension interfers with good breathing, which can tense your mood and have a negative impact on the next call.  

 So shake it off and have a great day!

It's your call

Every day we are asked one question over and over, and while it seems like a simple question, the answer may have a big impact on your day and theirs.  What's the question?  

How are you?

The ball is in your court - how will you respond? 

Sometimes the truth is ugly.  "I'm tired, hungry, cranky, late, giving my skinny jeans a bigger workout than they deserve..."  Does the person asking really want to hear all that?  No, probably not.  The question is really just a pleasantry, in fact most people don't even stop to hear the answer.

Consder the responses, "not bad", "I've had better", "only 5 more day 'til the weekend".  Comments like these come across as negative.

The other downside of 'fessing up to negative feelings or using sarcasm, is the impact it can have on you.  Smack-talkin' your day can set a negative tone for the conversation and can really bring you down.  

So here's an idea, choose a response and play with it all day.  

How about "I'm having a marvelous Monday, a terrific Tuesday, a wacky Wednesday etc."

Or "I'm doing great!"  "Good, thank you for asking"  "I'm awesome - you?"

The upside of choosing to respond in an upbeat, somewhat unusual way is that it pumps you up.  You can convince yourself that things are good!  

The mind believes what you tell it.  Why not tell it something positive?

How are you doing?  Share your responses here...

Finishing Strong

Here's the dirt on my old drycleaner, their process had a flaw. My new drycleaner collects payment for my items when I drop them off, which means pick up is easy and fun!

Fun you say? Well yes, the most painful part of the drycleaning experience is paying, so why not get it over with first?  Now I get go in, pick up my sparkling clean clothes and not even bring my wallet.  This makes me like them even more.

How do you make your finish fun?

- Offer addtional services or assistance.

- Use their name.

- Offer them a coupon.

- Set up their next appointment so they don't have to remember to do it later? Or so that they get the day and time they want.

- Offer to call, text or email them when their order is ready.

- Say something out-of-the-ordinary.  

Most businesses say, have a nice day? How about getting creative for example if you are in the heating, HVAC business "Stay cool" if you are in legal services say "hope we don't serve you later" if you are in the plumbing business "hope your day doesn't go down the tubes", accounting "have a balanced day" 

Send me your ideas...

Blink, Blink

Normally I like to share a tip that gets your body moving so that your circulation, breathing and energy improve. 

But this tip caught my attention, maybe because my eyes are aging faster than I am, and I wanted to share it.

The problem: Screen fatigue; tired, itching and/or burning eyes.  One of the most common causes of eye fatigue is staring for long periods at digital devices such as computer screens, smartphones, sillyphones and video games.

The solution: Scientists say 20 seconds of BLINKING can stop computer users getting eye strain

Try this:  20/20/20/20

Blinking 20 times in a row every 20 minutes, combined with looking away from the screen for 20 seconds and focusing on an object 20 feet away.

What to read more? 

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2292882/The-simple-solution-screen-fatigue-Scientists-say-20-seconds-BLINKING-stop-users-getting-eye-strain.html